Wales, with its dramatic scenery, is steeped in mystery and romance. Its majestic heather-clad hills cut by cascading waterfalls, and mountain streams rushing through gladed valleys are both the places of legends and of history running back into the mists of time.

Yet, beneath the quartzite surface of this jewelled landscape, there is another treasure, as valuable as it is beautiful – Welsh gold.

The songs of ancient Celtic bards, and archaeological records, affirm that Welsh Gold has had a long and fascinating existence. Not only is Welsh Gold one of the rarest previous metals in the world, but its reputation has taken on an almost magical dimension through time.

Today, Welsh Gold is scarcer than it has ever been. When mining took place at the Clogau St. David’s Gold Mine in the late 1990s it used to cost over £1000 an ounce to extract.

Consequently, Welsh gold is so rare it is often only used in carefully measured amounts with other gold to produce a shimmering rose hue.

Welsh Gold has a history stretching back at least 2000 years, prized for its scarcity and origin, it has become one of the most sought-after golds in the world.

There are two locations where Welsh gold occurs naturally. One area is in southern Snowdonia in North Wales near Dolgellau and the other is in a small area in the valley of the River Cothi at Dolaucothi in South Wales.

The tradition is presumed to have started by panning gold from alluvial placers in river beds, or near old rivers. By 75AD, however, large scale mining was already underway at Dolaucothi and from 1862 until 1911 the Clogau St. David's Gold Mine near Dolgellau had produced 165,031 tonnes of gold ore resulting in 78,507 troy ounces (2,442 kg) of gold in what was known as the 'gold rush' period.

Since 1928 many members of the Royal Family have worn wedding rings made from a nugget of pure Welsh gold mined from the Clogau mine, including Queen Elizabeth II and her mother, Princess Margaret, Prince Charles, Princess Diana and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall.

By the late 1990s however, Welsh gold mining had all but ceased due to its scarcity and the high cost of extraction.